VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova is set to return to the Wells Fargo Center Sunday to host BIG EAST rival Butler (9-6 overall, 2-2 BIG EAST) at noon. It marks the Wildcats first appearance at their home away from home since Feb. 29, 2020. Villanova did not host any home games at the Center in 2020-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
Sunday's clash will be televised on FS1 with Dave Sims and Jim Spanarkel courtside. The game will also air on the Villanova IHeart Radio Network (Ryan Fannon and Whitey Rigsby).
 
The Wildcats, ranked No. 14 in both the Associated Press and USA Today polls, downed No. 17 Xavier 64-60 Wednesday night in Cincinnati. Butler defeated Georgetown 72-58 in Washington, D.C. a night later.
 
The teams split the season series in 2020-21, with each team winning on its home court.
 
"Butler has a way of playing extremely physical and extremely intelligent," said Villanova head coach Jay Wright following a practice session Saturday at Finneran Pavilion. "That combination is extremely rare in college basketball, and it has given us trouble. Their toughness, their physicality have been tough for us. We have struggled with that at times.
 
"I think they're playing really well right now. They went into Georgetown and did that. They played with a high level of intelligence and really played well. They've got that going and we've got to be prepared for that."
 
For its part, Villanova has leaned on its backcourt tandem of Collin Gillespie and Justin Moore, who was named BIG EAST Player of the Week on Monday. The pair combined for 40 points in Wednesday night's win and Moore made a series of clutch plays in the final two minutes.
 
"That comes from repetition in practice," said Moore. "We practice those end of game situations all the time, what to do and where our teammates are going to be at. When it comes to the game, it's second nature."
 
Villanova is 9-0 this season when it outrebounds its opponent, as it did Wednesday night at Xavier. It's been a committee approach for the Wildcats with guards like Moore – who grabbed nine against the Musketeers – playing a significant role on the glass.
 
"That's one of our core principals – rebounding and being tough," Moore stated. "In the Big East you play against big teams that are physical like Butler. You've got to be tough and it's not just the bigs rebounding. As guards, we have to be down there digging for rebounds too."
 
This is just the Wildcats third home game since Dec. 21 and sixth on the season. This begins a stretch of four home games in the next five contests. Villanova returns to its campus home, Finneran Pavilion, on Wednesday night to meet Marquette (8 p.m./CBS Sports Network and Villanova IHeart Radio Network).
 
As a reminder, per city of Philadelphia guidelines, all fans attending Sunday's game will need to show proof of vaccination to enter the facility and masks are required while viewing the game except when eating or drinking.